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The visit, Quentin Groves thought, would be a precursor, not a misfire. The Cardinals linebacker was a free agent for the first time, knowing he hadn’t performed as he should for four seasons since coming out of Auburn. Reality, though, was still to come. He worked out for the New York Giants – the Super Bowl champions – and instead of a contract offer, got a mental slap.

“You’re not athletic enough to play in our scheme,” Groves was told, and while he was reeling from that, a trip to Miami left the Dolphins telling him nearly the same thing. Groves, who lived in Jacksonville thanks to his stint with the Jaguars when he came into the league, drove home the 300-plus miles searching himself for answers.

He was lucky enough to find them. Groves went on a “three-month binge” as he called it, although it was a reverse binge. “I took all the b.s. out of my life,” he said. The linebacker signed with the Cardinals during that time, and from the start, coach Ken Whisenhunt would talk about how Groves was a good fit for the defensive scheme. For a man still stinging from the words he had heard on his other trips, it was pleasant to hear.

His binge was absolute. Gone were the nights out. Gone was the drinking. “Had to eliminate some people out of my life” too, he said, and then he buckled down on his fitness and diet. The first four years of his career, he took for granted. No longer.

“I didn’t study as much as I should, not putting in the extra film work as much as I should, not taking care of my body and eating right as much as I should,” Groves said. “By the grace of God, I’ve been an exceptional athlete. To be drafted in the second round and coming into the league, I got complacent. Now I’m back on my grind, doing the little things better. Instead of going home and picking up a video game, I pick up my playbook or pick up my iPad and watch film.”

Respect. This can springboard him into not only starting one day, but also establish him as a veteran who can mentor rookies coming into the league. Good for Groves!_________________Adopt a Bill:
I'd like to adopt myself as GM!